Rhiannon Giddens' ascent began with her beat-box-infused version of Blu Cantrell's "Hit 'Em Up Style" — from Carolina Chocolate Drops' album Genuine Negro Jig — and continued with her show-stealing Gaelic song performance in the concert film Another Day, Another Time. Her take on Bob Dylan lyrics as a member of The New Basement Tapes dazzled.

The song that knocked Taylor Swift off the top of the Billboard Hot 100 this week is a pulsing, funky rager sung by Bruno Mars. But the name on the track, and the vision behind it, belong to someone else. "Uptown Funk" is the first single from a new album by British producer, songwriter and musician Mark Ronson.

The song was written by Paul for the record-breaking video game Destiny, and until now has been exclusively available within the game itself. Produced by Giles Martin, “Hope For The Future” is as epic as the game itself.

Pity the mid-career artist, stuck in the long middle distance of working things out. Youth is honey, redolent of novelty, physical charm and energetic self-absorption. Veteran status, while still dangerously marginal, at least affords deference, since few in our culture expect creative lives to last as long as life itself. Young artists run on guts and glamour, while older ones may find themselves motivated by the respect they've finally received. But in the middle, things get murky. The long haul of perfecting an aesthetic can turn repetitive and feel fruitless.

Scottish musician Jack Bruce, who co-founded the rock band Cream and created seminal music in the 1960s, has died, his family has confirmed. Bruce played bass in the trio that included Eric Clapton on guitar and Ginger Baker on drums. He sang such hits as "Sunshine of Your Love," "White Room" and "I Feel Free."